


Whumptober 2020 - 08 - Alone

by Celticgal1041



Series: Whumptober 2020 [8]
Category: Magnum P.I. (TV 2018)
Genre: Angst, Brotherly Love, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Friendship, Gen, Higgins briefly mentioned, Hurt/Comfort, Whump, Whumptober 2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-08
Updated: 2020-10-08
Packaged: 2021-03-08 01:07:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,985
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26897176
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Celticgal1041/pseuds/Celticgal1041
Summary: When he woke up screaming from a nightmare, he’d do it alone. Or so he thought.
Series: Whumptober 2020 [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1949548
Comments: 6
Kudos: 45
Collections: Whumptober 2020





	Whumptober 2020 - 08 - Alone

**Author's Note:**

> This prompt fill is something of a continuation of the situation introduced in my day 1 prompt fill - Left Hanging. I don’t think it’s necessary to have read that one, but I’d be thrilled if you did. Enjoy!

“No!” Magnum’s shout startled him awake and he found himself half sitting up in bed, his blanket twisted uncomfortably around his legs and torso. With a loud groan, he let himself fall back, his chest still heaving after the dump of adrenaline running through his veins from his latest nightmare.

It had been over a week – 10 days, Rick would happily remind him – since his friends had found him hanging by his arms in a remote, abandoned farm building. He’d been so relieved when he’d been found, having spent several frustrating hours attempting to escape, only to find that he was completely helpless to free himself.

He’d spent the following 48 hours in the hospital, the medical staff working to rehydrate him and bring his body temperature back down to normal. The first day was mostly a blur of IVs, sore, aching muscles that never seemed to stop hurting, and one god-awful fan that made him shiver relentlessly until the doctors were finally satisfied that his brain wouldn’t actually melt inside his skull. 

On his second day, he craved the lack of awareness he’d experienced the day prior. His doctor took it upon herself to explain, in nauseating detail, the damage in his left shoulder and how sore he’d be for the near future due to the strain he’d placed on pretty much everything in his arms and upper back.

Already on edge after finding himself nearly incapable of any movement involving his neck and arms, Thomas had barely been able to restrain himself from offering a snarky reply to his physician’s condescending assumption that he’d willingly injured himself. Fortunately, Rick and TC were both there, and the former had swiftly intervened to escort the doctor from the room, while Calvin stayed at his side and attempted to calm him down.

Things had only accelerated from there, with Magnum stating unequivocally that he was leaving, while his friends argued just as relentlessly that he should stay at least one more day because he could barely even move on his own. Thomas had glared at the men until they’d acquiesced, although Higgins would reveal to him later that it had been the abject look of helplessness in his eyes that had turned the tide in his favour.

Whatever, he’d told himself. As long as he was home, that was the main thing, except things were never that simple. Although he’d been allowed to leave the hospital, his release came with so many strings that Magnum wondered if he’d gained any freedom at all with his change in scenery.

Higgins had made up a room in the main house, and he hadn’t been allowed to leave his bed except for the brief forays to the bathroom – _assisted_ forays to the bathroom. He’d tried to make the trip on his own once and had been caught partway, earning him an epic chewing out from all three of his friends. Gritting his teeth and biting his tongue had been the only way he’d managed to get through it. Afterwards, he’d sullenly swallowed his meds before closing his eyes and pretending to sleep, not having the patience to deal with the level of mother-henning he was being subjected to.

The nightmares had started that night.

No stranger to bad dreams, he’d been unsurprised that his recent ordeal had led to an unsettled sleep. What _had_ surprised him was the content of his dreams. Each evening he was given a front-row seat to his kidnapping, sometimes seeing his attackers but more frequently not seeing anyone at all. He’d suddenly find himself transported from the parking lot where he’d been abducted to the farm where he’d been strung up, each time completely alone and entirely helpless to get free.

He’d been held captive before, but there had always been someone around: soldiers, interrogators, and torturers whose only objective was to cause pain. It didn’t matter that they’d all been his enemies; at least he hadn’t been entirely alone, knowing that even while in isolation, guards roamed the area around the hole where he’d been thrown. The realization had shocked him, never thinking of himself as especially needy or clingy, but the truth was that he desperately needed a purpose.

When the soldiers were harassing him, his friends had been largely left alone. Being brought before one of the interrogators bought time unmarked by pain for his brothers. Being picked to be tortured meant a few more days of relative health for the men he’d die for, and each time he’d wholeheartedly thrown himself into the path of danger to save the others a bit of suffering.

But this most recent time had been different. He saw no one from the time he awoke to the moment when he was rescued. His shouted insults and demands for his captors to show themselves had been completely ignored, leaving him to suffer every second entirely by himself. It was unnerving, to say the least.

Had the story ended there, Thomas might have been alright after a few days, but he’d unintentionally overheard the truth, which had further fueled his nightly journey into Hell.

_“You sure it’s okay to talk here?” Katsumoto asked, his eyes darting to Magnum’s sleeping form. He stood hesitantly at the door to the P.I.’s room, his body language clearly telegraphing his discomfort at speaking within earshot of the recovering man._

_“Yeah, it’s fine,” Rick replied softly._

_TC nodded in agreement. “He took his meds a short while ago, and they’ll keep him under for a few more hours.”_

_Katsumoto offered a tentative nod in reply before he began to speak. “We caught the guys who took him.”_

_Rick and TC leaned closer, eagerly waiting to hear more. Softly clearing his throat, the detective continued. “They’ve done this before; I just didn’t realize it was the same group because I wasn’t part of the other investigations.”_

_With a grin on his face, Rick replied, “That’s great news; means you solved a bunch of other cases at the same time, right?”_

_Katsumoto’s eyes again darted to Magnum’s still form, the man’s face still creased with lines of pain despite being deeply asleep. “Gordon?” TC prompted, becoming unsettled by the man’s discomfort._

_Mentally shaking himself from his fugue, the detective went on. “Magnum was the fifth person they’d taken. Each one was a cover for a high-end car theft.” TC and Rick nodded, having already known the Ferrari was the true motive behind the attack._

_“The owners of the other cars were all taken to different parts of the island and left in abandoned buildings. There was a cannery to the north, an old greenhouse just outside Honolulu….” He trailed off, taking a moment to gather himself before going on. “Look, none of the other owners were found until it was too late. These guys didn’t just lock people up to make their getaway; they left them there to die.”_

_“Are you saying Thomas would be dead if we hadn’t found him?” Rick hissed, the anger clear in his tone._

_Katsumoto dipped his chin. “Yeah, he would be.”_

_TC swiped a hand across his face, the enormity of what they’d just heard rocking him. “Listen, we can’t tell him,” he began, his mind already churning through the potential consequences of the information they’d just received. “He’s already been having nightmares, and this will just make them worse.”_

_Rick appeared conflicted as he considered his friend’s words. “You know he’ll want to know.”_

_“He will, but that doesn’t mean we can’t wait until he’s stronger,” TC replied. “Give him some time to heal and put his demons back into a box. Then we can tell him.” He held Rick’s gaze and then Katsumoto’s, not relaxing until he’d received nods from both men._

The men had left his room then, leaving Magnum to ponder the enormity of what he’d just heard. He’d been left to die. He’d had nothing else his attackers wanted and had been discarded like a piece of garbage. The realization had him panicking, his breaths speeding up until it hurt to even try to inhale, and that was how Higgins had found him: well into a panic attack and nearly unconscious from the tightness in his chest.

He went back to the guesthouse the following day.

Being back in his own space was a mixed blessing. He was finally back in his own bed and had put his foot down about his friends’ involvement in his recovery. They were welcome to help with mundane tasks like preparing food and helping him put on a clean shirt – there was no way he could lift his arms beyond waist height in those first few days – but he drew the line there.

There would be no more helping him shower, even though there was no way he could manage the task of washing his hair. More importantly, sitting at his bedside and watching him sleep was strictly off limits. When he woke up screaming from a nightmare, he’d do it alone. Or so he thought.

Outside his bedroom were TC and Rick, the latter sitting on the floor next to the door. TC padded softly closer, coming to relieve the other man so Wright could have his chance to sleep. “He awake again?” Calvin asked, correctly gauging the tortured expression on his friend’s face.

Rick nodded glumly. “Why won’t he let us help?” His head tipped downwards as his fingers clutched at his hair in frustration. “It’s been ten days and he hasn’t slept for eight of them.”

TC slid down the wall across from him, resting his arms on bent knees. “You know what he’s like,” he replied, not any happier than Wright about Thomas’ decision to push them away.

Lifting his face, Rick said, “He’s not getting better.”

“Nope,” TC agreed.

“Think we’ve given him long enough?” Rick asked.

“Yup,” Calvin replied, already making his way to his feet, and then bending forward to pull Wright up as well.

Rick led the way into Magnum’s room, unsurprised to see the man’s eyes open but unseeing, and the blanket wrapped haphazardly around his body. Adopting a matter of fact tone, he stepped up to the bed, immediately reaching for the tangled bedding. “No way are you getting any sleep like this.”

TC had approached on the other side, catching Thomas’ eyes as he did so and confirming the ill man was coherent enough to understand what was happening. “Let’s get you sorted out.” Gentle hands rolled and then braced Magnum’s body, allowing Rick to fix the covers. “There, isn’t that better?”

Despite allowing himself to be manhandled, Thomas’ expression was defiant. “What are you doing here?” he croaked out.

Without missing a beat, Rick picked up a glass of water from the bedside table and positioned it so Magnum could take a drink through the straw without sitting up. Still looking sullen, the P.I. drank, his thirst overcoming his defiance. Once Wright had pulled the glass away, TC answered their friend’s question. “We’ve tried it your way; now it’s time for you to accept some help.”

Magnum’s eyes skittered away, too uncomfortable to hold his friend’s gaze. “Don’t need your help,” he muttered lowly.

From the other side of the bed, Rick placed his hand on Thomas’ cheek, gently turning the man’s head so he could make eye contact. “Don’t you remember what they taught you in BUD/S?” Magnum’s brow furrowed in confusion and he remained silent. “No matter what happens, you’re never alone,” Rick finished, watching as Thomas’ eyes slowly filled up with tears.

TC lowered himself down to the bed, Rick copying his movements on Magnum’s other side. Warm arms wrapped themselves around the softly sobbing man, holding him until he’d exhausted himself and drifted back to sleep.

“Never alone, brother,” TC whispered.

“Amen to that,” Rick replied, closing his eyes as he prayed for a dreamless sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> Many thanks to AZGirl for proofing; all remaining mistakes are mine.
> 
> This story was based on the day 8 prompt: Where did everybody go? don't say goodbye / abandoned / isolation
> 
> Thanks for reading and I'd love to hear your thoughts if you're so inclined!


End file.
